In today’s previous post, I began to tackle the question of whether the parishioners in the Texas church where yesterday’s mass murder took place were banned from carrying guns. In it I quoted the following rules in Texas: Churches in … Continue reading →
Of interest: The NYPD had suspected New Jersey’s Masjid Omar Mosque, where jihadist Sayfullo Saipov reportedly worshipped, of having radical ties for over 10 years, allegedly keeping all its worshippers under watch. Moreover, the FBI, which claims it had nothing … Continue reading →
A little non-political item from the NY Post: The universe shouldn’t technically exist, according to top scientists who have spent their careers trying to figure out how the beginning of everything didn’t immediately destroy itself. I believe they actually mean … Continue reading →
Leah Libresco, who used to write for the statistics site FiveThirtyEight (headed by Nate Silver), describes how the more she studied—in the mathematical, statistical sense—about gun-inflicted deaths and gun control, the more she changed her mind on the subject: Before … Continue reading →
Nope, I wasn’t at Woodstock—one of the only members of my generation who wasn’t, to hear most them tell it. And I don’t romanticize the 60s and look back on them nostalgically, although many people my age do. I think … Continue reading →
…continues in the most unlikely of places. I say “unlikely” because one would think a Catholic school to be the last bastion for the defense of its Catholic statues. But then again, this particular Catholic school is in San Anselmo … Continue reading →
It’s come to this: “Theological heresy” to pray for Trump? Wouldn’t it depend on what you prayed? I thought prayers were often on the order of prayers for guidance and wisdom. Wouldn’t that be an especially appropriate prayer for even … Continue reading →
It’s a rare event in Iran. The terrorists seem to be ISIS, in a Sunni-Shi’ite struggle: Islamic State said five of its fighters carried out the twin attacks using assault rifles, grenades, and suicide vests. “The caliphate will not miss … Continue reading →
The Supreme Court is about to render judgment on the 4th Circuit’s upholding of an injunction against Trump travel ban EO. Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection suggests that, based on her prior remarks about Trump, Justice Ginsburg ought to be … Continue reading →
I noticed mention of Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan in the comments section yesterday, to wit: [Calling terrorists “evil losers”] is the single strongest blow against Evil Losing Islamic terrorists since Sirhan Sirhan murdered RFK. And commenter Bill wrote in … Continue reading →
In yesterday’s speech addressing the Muslim world, Trump did something creative. Instead of wading into the swamp of the “terrorists are not real Muslims” argument, he got out of the trap of opining on Islamic theology altogether. Instead, he universalized … Continue reading →
To yesterday’s discussion of the question of how to legally define “religion,” I want to add one thing, which is that the definition primarily relates to the privileges and protections enjoyed by religions. That is, the legal definition tells you … Continue reading →